Derek Wolfe deal gets Ravens back on track this offseason

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Baltimore Ravens have signed Derek Wolfe. This gets the Ravens back on track:

The Ravens plan to build the best 3-4 defensive line in football took a big hit when the Michael Brockers deal fell through. The Ravens traded away Chris Wormley and let Michael Pierce leave in free agency. The addition of Wolfe is a fair replacement for Brockers. The defensive line is once again set and the Ravens can look at edge rushers inside linebackers and wide receivers. All is back to the way it should be.

According to a tweet by Adam Schefter, the Ravens have reached an agreement with Derek Wolfe. It’s basically a one year prove-it deal. Which means it’s basically another bargain worked out on the Ravens behalf by one Eric DeCosta.

The timing of this move couldn’t have been any better. The Denver Broncos just re-signed Shelby Harris and the defensive end market was getting thin. In basically a day, the Ravens fixed the quandary that the Brockers debacle landed them in. DeCosta ended up getting a very comparable player to Brockers and he did it at a much more team friendly deal.

Wolfe is coming off of a seven sack 2019 season. He’s going to provide the Ravens with inside pass rush. With Calais Campbell at the other defensive end position, Baltimore’s ability to get to the quarterback just went up in a big way. The Ravens will have one of the stingiest defensive line’s against the run and they will be able to blitz less because Wolfe and Campbell will win battles at the line of scrimmage.

Wolfe has had four seasons with five or more sacks. He’s 30 years old and probably has a good bit of football left in the tank. He’s 6’5″ so he gives the Ravens the same exact reach that Brockers would have. Having Wolfe on one side and a 6’8″ Campbell on the other is going to pay off in a lot of different ways. Tipped passes are certainly something to expect.

While Wolfe may be a little less productive against the run than Brockers, the Ravens are going after the same basic concept here. They’ll be getting more pass rush and will have the best defensive line in the AFC North.

The Ravens have re-gained their strength on the defensive line. The Ravens now just have to find an inside linebacker and a reasonable addition on the edge and they will easily have a top-tier defense for 2020.

Whatever the plan was beyond this, the Ravens are back on schedule. They can resume their offseason work as if the Brockers deal never set them back at all. This is a big deal for the purple and black.